Six Sparkling Serves

The best drinks in the house don't need a bar cart, just a tap, a sparkling water machine and whatever's in the fruit bowl. Whether you're hosting friends, having a quiet one on the sofa or sitting out a round, a good glass of bubbles should feel like an occasion.

So we've rounded up six of our favourite serves, and every one comes two ways: a cocktail version with a measure of something stronger, and a zero-proof version that's every bit as good. Same glass, same garnish, nobody left holding a sad lime and soda.

All six are plant-based (just swap honey for maple syrup where it pops up), take under five minutes and are topped with freshly made bubbly water, so there's not a single plastic bottle in sight.

Before you start

A few tips that makes the difference between a flat drink and a properly bubbly one.

• Chill your water first. Cold water holds on to CO2 far better than room-temperature water, so keep a bottle in the fridge ready to carbonate.
• Bubbles go in last. Build the flavour in the glass, add ice, then top up with sparkling water and give it one gentle stir. Shaking or over-stirring knocks the bubbles out.
• Only ever carbonate plain water. Add fruit, juice and cordial to the glass afterwards, never to your machine's bottle.

1. Raspberry Rose Fizz

Pink, floral and a little bit fancy, this one looks far harder to make than it is. It's also the perfect home for any soft or slightly squashed raspberries, since they're getting muddled anyway.

You'll need

• 5–6 fresh raspberries
• ½ lemon, juiced
• Ice
  
• 25ml rose gin or rose cordial 
• 200ml sparkling water 

Method

1. Muddle the raspberries and lemon juice in a glass or shaker until juicy.
2. Add the rose gin or rose cordial and stir briefly.
3. Fill your glass with ice and pour the raspberry mix over it.
4. Top with sparkling water and stir once, gently.
5. Garnish with a raspberry or two.

2. Strawberry Basil Fizz

Sweet strawberries and peppery basil are one of the great double acts, and bubbles bring out the best in both. 

You'll need

• 4–5 fresh strawberries, sliced
• 3–4 fresh basil leaves
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp maple syrup, honey or sugar syrup
• Ice
• 25ml gin if preferred 
• 200 ml sparkling water
• A basil leaf and a strawberry slice, to garnish

Method

1. Muddle the strawberries, basil and lemon juice until fragrant.
2. Stir in your syrup, plus the gin or vodka if you're using it.
3. Fill your glass with ice and pour the muddled mix over it.
4. Top with sparkling water and stir once, gently.
5. Garnish with basil and a strawberry slice and drink straight away.

Tip: Freeze leftover basil in an ice cube tray with water and you've got instant herby ice for next time.

3. Elderflower Grapefruit Spritz

This is the brunch drink: bright, bittersweet and very easy to drink. Best served on a sunny day, or on a grey one when you need to pretend.

You'll need

• 2 tbsp elderflower cordial
• 100ml freshly squeezed pink or ruby grapefruit juice
• Ice
• 25ml elderflower liquor or gin if preferred
• 150ml sparkling water
• A thin grapefruit slice (and a sprig of thyme, if you're feeling it), to garnish

Method

1. Pour the elderflower cordial and grapefruit juice into a tall glass or wine glass.
2. Add your spirit if using.
3. Fill with ice and top with sparkling water.
4. Stir once, gently, and finish with the grapefruit slice.

Tip: Cut the rest of the grapefruit into wedges and freeze them. They chill the drink without watering it down.

4. Cucumber Mint Refresher

The one to reach for after a long day, a run or a heavy lunch. It's crisp, clean and far more satisfying than a sugary soda, and the pinch of salt is the secret that makes it taste properly thirst-quenching.

You'll need

• 5–6 thin slices of cucumber, plus a ribbon to garnish
• 6–8 fresh mint leaves
• ½ lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp sugar syrup (optional)
• A tiny pinch of sea salt (optional)
• Ice
• 50ml gin if preferred, a cucumber or botanical gin compliments it perfectly
• 150ml sparkling water

Method

1. Gently press the cucumber and mint with the lemon juice in the bottom of a tall glass. Bruise the mint rather than shredding it, or it turns bitter.
2. Add the syrup, salt and gin, if using.
3. Fill with ice and top with sparkling water.
4. Stir once and garnish with a cucumber ribbon and a mint sprig.

Tip: Make a jug of the zero-proof version for the table, then let people add a measure of gin to their own glass.

5. The CO2 YOU Sparkling Paloma

Mexico's favourite highball is tart, bold and built for a crowd. Our version skips the grapefruit soda and uses fresh bubbly water instead, so you control the sweetness.

You'll need

• 30ml lime juice
• 120ml grapefruit juice (concentrate works well)
• Ice
• 60ml tequila if preferred
• Top with sparkling water
• A grapefruit or lime wedge, to garnish (a salted rim is optional but highly recommended)

Method

1. Fill your glass with ice.
2. Add the lime juice, grapefruit juice and tequila, if using.
3. Top with sparkling water.
4. Stir gently and finish with a wedge of grapefruit or lime.

Tip: For the zero-proof version, a small pinch of salt and a splash of agave syrup give it the depth tequila usually brings.

6. Ginger Mint Highball

This serve is a warming, spicy long drink with a cool finish. Instead of a bottle of ginger beer, you make a quick ginger syrup and top it with your own bubbly water, which gives you a sharper, fresher kick and one less bottle in the recycling. The darker float  is what gives it that gorgeous amber layer.

Make the ginger syrup (makes about 8 drinks)

• 100g fresh ginger, thinly sliced (no need to peel)
• 100g light brown or demerara sugar
• 150ml water

Simmer everything for 10 minutes, leave to steep for another 10, then strain and cool. It keeps in the fridge for two weeks.

You'll need, per drink

• 25ml ginger syrup
• 15ml fresh lime juice, plus a lime wheel to garnish
• 3–4 thin slices of cucumber
• A handful of mint leaves, plus a big sprig to garnish
• Ice
• 50ml dark or spiced rum 
• 150ml sparkling water

Method

1. Gently press the mint and cucumber with the lime juice in the bottom of a highball glass.
2. Add the ginger syrup and fill the glass with ice.
3. Top with sparkling water, leaving a finger of space at the top, and stir once.
4. Slowly pour the rum (or tea) over the back of a spoon so it floats in a darker layer.
5. Tuck in a lime wheel and a generous sprig of mint.

Better drinks, fewer bottles

Every one of these drinks starts with tap water and a CO2 YOU cylinder, so there's no mixer bottle to buy, carry home or throw away. Each cylinder saves around 60 plastic bottles, and because we collect your empties and refill them for the next home, not one of our cylinders has ended up in landfill.

We deliver full cylinders to your door and pick up your empties in the same visit, with free delivery and collection on every subscription. Pause or cancel anytime, no deposit needed.

FAQs

Can I make cocktails and mocktails with sparkling water instead of tonic or soda? Yes. Sparkling water gives you the bubbles without the added sugar, so the fruit, herbs and spirit do the talking. Add a little syrup if you like a sweeter drink.

Can I put juice or cordial in my sparkling water machine? No, only carbonate plain water. Add juice, cordial and spirits to the glass after carbonating to protect your machine and keep the bubbles lively.

How do I keep my drinks bubbly for longer? Carbonate water straight from the fridge, add the sparkling water last and stir just once. Serving over plenty of ice helps too.

How do I turn a cocktail into a mocktail without it tasting watery? Replace the spirit with a little extra of something flavourful, such as cordial, juice, cold tea or an alcohol-free spirit, rather than just more water. A pinch of salt also adds depth.

Are these recipes vegan? They all are, as long as you use maple or sugar syrup instead of honey in the Strawberry Basil Fizz.